[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 10 (Friday, February 8, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S556]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  STATEMENTS ON SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 206--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF MARCH 17 THROUGH MARCH 
     23, 2002 AS ``NATIONAL INHALANTS AND POISON PREVENTION WEEK''

  Mr. MURKOWSKI submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 206

       Whereas according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 
     inhalant use ranks third in popularity behind use of alcohol 
     and tobacco for all youths through the eighth grade;
       Whereas the over 1,000 products that are being inhaled to 
     get high are legal, inexpensive, and found in nearly every 
     home and corner market;
       Whereas using inhalants even once to get high can lead to 
     kidney failure, brain damage, or even death;
       Whereas inhalants are considered a gateway drug, 1 that 
     leads to the use of harder, more deadly drugs; and
       Whereas because inhalant use is difficult to detect, the 
     products used are accessible and affordable, and abuse is so 
     common, increased education of young people and their parents 
     regarding the dangers of inhalants is an important step in 
     our Nation's battle against drug abuse: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of March 17 through March 23, 2002, 
     as ``National Inhalants and Poison Prevention Week'';
       (2) encourages parents to learn about the dangers of 
     inhalant abuse and discuss those dangers with their children; 
     and
       (3) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     calling upon the people of the United States to observe the 
     week with appropriate activities.

  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today I rise to submit a resolution to 
designate March 17 to March 23, 2002 as ``National Inhalants and Poison 
Prevention Week.''
  What exactly are inhalants? Inhalants are the intentional breathing 
of gas or vapors for the purpose of reaching a high. Over 1,400 common 
products can be abused--such as lighter fluid, pressurized whipped 
cream, hair spray, and gasoline, the abused product of choice in rural 
Alaska. These products are inexpensive, easily obtained and legal. An 
inhalant abuse counselor told me, ``If if smells like a chemical, it 
can be abused.'' It's a ``silent epidemic'' because few adults really 
appreciate the severity of the problem. One in five students has tried 
inhalants by the time they reach the eight grade. The use of inhalants 
by children has nearly doubled in the last 10 years. Further, inhalants 
are the third most abused substances among teenagers, behind alcohol 
and tobacco.
  These are facts that should trouble every parent, and every American. 
Inhalants are deadly. Inhalant vapors react with fatty tissues in the 
brain, literally dissolving them. One time use of inhalants can cause 
instant and permanent brain, heart, kidney, liver or other organ 
damage. The user can also suffer from instant heart failure known as 
``Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome'', this means an abuser can die the 
first, tenth or hundredth time he or she uses an inhalant. In fact, 
according to a recent study by the Alaska Native Health Consortium, 
inhaling has a higher risk of ``instant death'' than any other abused 
substance.
  That's what happened to Theresa, an 18-year-old who lived in rural 
Western Alaska. Theresa was inhaling gasoline, shortly thereafter her 
heart stopped. She was found alone and outside in near zero degree 
temperatures. Theresa, who was the youngest of five children and just a 
month shy of graduation, was flown to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital where 
she was pronounced dead on arrival.
  To help combat this, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation opened 
Alaska's first inhalant treatment center last year. It is my hope that 
someday our treatment facility will only have empty beds. But, if this 
dream is to be realized, we must stop the abuse before the kids have to 
go into treatment. My experience has been that prevention through 
education is the key. As such awareness must be promoted among young 
people, parents and educators. I hope that a national week of awareness 
will encourage programs throughout the country, alerting parents and 
children to the dangers of inhalants.

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